Two years ago, the Commercial Appeal food writer compiled her second list of “100 Memphis Foods to Eat Before You Die.” Despite her own resistance, she’s done it again.
On Friday, Jennifer Biggs reveals her top ten favorites in the Commercial Appeal, along with the complete list of excellent eats for adventurous foodies. She joined us in the studio to recommend a few noshes that WKNO listeners might enjoy.
Dishes that have become restaurant signatures:
- Smother your fries with cheese and chili if you want. I’ll take kim chi fries at Acre (690 S. Perkins; 901-818-2273) any day. Hand cut and fried fresh, natch, these are covered with caramelized onion, cantal cheese, sriracha mayo, bulgogi beef, green onions, cilantro and sesame seeds.
- One of the best sandwiches in town, hands down: The Verno, named after sports talk radio host Chris Vernon, is arguably the best po’ boy on the menu at The Second Line (2144 Monroe; 901-590-2829). Tender braised chicken thighs, Swiss cheese, tangy dressing and all the fixins’ make for a messy meal, though not as messy as the gravy-drenched roast beef. OK, I couldn’t decide. I mentioned them both. Bonus.
Want to try something different?
- I’ve only been there once but you can bet they’ll come to know my face at Madea’s Soul Food (2665 Overton Crossing; 901-474-9631) in Frayser, where I ate the best pork neck bones I’ve ever put in mouth. How many have I eaten? Plenty, believe me — I’m a big fan of neck bones. If you haven’t tried them, trust me: This is where you want to start. Fall. Off. The. Vertebrae. Tender.
- Taqueria El Kora (694 Waring; 901-767-3275) has got your goat and they’ve put it in a stew. Order birria de chivo and you’ll get big hunks of goat, some with bone and some without, in a rich broth, served with limes, cilantro, onion and possibly the best corn tortillas, made right there, in the city. Know a little Spanish or be ready to point, and take cash.
- I could tell you to order the feijoada at Brazil Flavor (8014 Club Center Dr.; 901-746-9855) and would gladly do it, except now you get a whole buffet of Brazilian dishes and you can pick and choose. But the feijoada, the black bean, sausage and assorted pig parts stew, is the national dish of the country and well suited, as are the greens, okra and pepper sauce, to our Southern palate.
How about food to bring to a party, or, say a WKNO pledge drive?
- We are a chicken wing town, because we live by the words “if you got ‘em, smoke ‘em.” At The Grille (3035 Lamar; 901-744-7458), chicken wings are cooked on the grill for a few hours and only after they’re tender and smoky do they get sauced and tossed. One of the top five wings in town, hands down.
- The tamales at Pop’s Hot Tamales (2467 Park; 901-490-4017) are preposterously good. Owner Lee Crumb makes big pots of Memphis-style tamales — wet, wrapped in papers instead of husks, and with a high meat to corn meal ratio — and you need to know two things. Do you want them mild or hot? How many do you want? Oh, three things: Take your cash.
- Picking a favorite at Muddy’s Bake Shop (5101 Sanderlin #114; 901-683-8844) is like naming your favorite Beatles’ song — you might change your mind in the next beat. But we’ve done cupcakes and pies, and can’t go wrong with Jan’s toffee bars. Named after owner Kat Gordon’s mother, these candy-cookies are crunchy, sweet, a tiny bit salty and covered in chocolate. What’s not to love?
- There are egg rolls and then there are destination egg rolls. I don’t like dimply wrappers, but the papery crisp ones surrounding the pork and vegetable filling of the egg rolls at Pho Saigon (2946 Poplar; 901-458-1644). Long and thin, crazy crisp, bursting with flavor and served with a fish sauce that’s mixed in house and changes. The last time I had the fish sauce, it was wild — so good but strong and very, very hot with tiny slivers of fiery peppers.
- You might go in sugar shock, but eh, you’ll recover. The butter gooey bar at Frost Bake Shop (394 S. Grove Park; 901-682-4545) is, well, buttery, and it’s sweet and soft and absolutely guaranteed to fill your sweet tooth.
After sampling hundreds of local dishes for this story, what will Jennifer Biggs be going back for?
- The pizza at Ciao Baby Pizza (890 W. Poplar, Collierville; 901-457-7457) could be, just might be my favorite in these parts. We ordered the Oliva, with fresh mozzarella (not that bland stuff, though), salami, Kalamata olives, basil and San Marzano tomatoes (no tomato sauce), and that simple combo, on the exceptional crust, was over the top.
- Every time I go to Shang Hai (1400 Poplar; 901-722-8692) I find something new to love. The meatballs are definitely on that love list, even if they require a bit of work. You get 10 fat and flavorful pork meatballs, a big ol’ plate of herbs, dipping sauce and a pack of hard rice roll wrappers. You dip those in a bowl of steaming water, they soften immediately, then you roll meatballs and herbs inside. Dip. Eat. Repeat. Tip: Halve the meat balls to make it easier.
